From Grief to Growth: How One Young Woman Turned Tragedy into Strength

Written by: Adilah Mashriqi

In the span of just one year, she lost four of the most important people in her life. Her grandmother. Her grandfather. Her uncle and his wife—all gone in what felt like a blink. But what could have broken her became the very force that shaped her into the resilient woman she is today. For 22-year-old Hafifa Sayed, heartbreak didn’t end her story—it redefined it.

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Growing up, Hafifa’s childhood wasn’t simple, but it was filled with love, chaos, and family. “I lived with my whole family—my aunts, uncles, grandma, even her sister,” she recalled. Amid her parents' divorce and her mother working multiple jobs, she and her sister bounced between New York and California. Still, she found comfort in the constant presence of her extended family and tried to focus on the positives. “To me as a kid, I saw it as extra birthdays and toys, double the attention, double the gifts.”

Hafifa (right) with her mom and older sister (left).

Despite the turbulence, she found joy on the soccer field, playing from age eight through high school, and found inspiration in role models like Selena Gomez. “Her persona was ‘kill ’em with kindness,’ and I feel like my identity and life were influenced by her,” she said. “The way she carried herself and was always positive through everything that happened to her—I looked up to that.”

But nothing prepared her for the storm of loss that began in 2020.

Her beloved grandmother—who raised her—died suddenly during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. “She wasn’t sick or anything… she just had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. But we had no clue,” she said. “This was during COVID, so we couldn’t even visit. My aunt called us crying to tell us she passed away.”

The grief didn’t stop there. Just months later, her grandfather passed away unexpectedly. Then came the unimaginable—her uncle Merwais and his wife were killed in a tragic car accident involving a drunk driver. “I was the one who answered the phone,” she said. “We had just celebrated our birthdays and had cake together. On the way home, they were hit head-on. My uncle died on impact. His wife passed later. The kids were the only survivors.”

The trauma of that night still lingers. “A few days later was my birthday, but I felt so broken,” she said. “I remember going out some nights and just crying, staring at the sky. I had never been more broken both emotionally and mentally.”

But in the darkness, she and her family made a decision that would change all their lives. “It was a no-brainer,” she said of adopting her uncle’s two children. “My mom was the closest to their dad, and we didn’t have any little kids in the house. We just knew we had to do it.”

Becoming a big sister overnight wasn’t easy, especially while starting college. “It was a lot. Mentally, it was too much. I couldn’t just focus on school. A lot of it went to the kids,” she said. “My 3-year-old sister would always ask about her mom… We had to help her understand what happened.”

Hafifa's cousins-turned-siblings, Jannah (left) and Azaan (right).

Still, something beautiful grew out of the pain. “It definitely brought me closer to my mom and older sister,” she shared. “We had to pull her up from a dark place, and now we’re the closest we’ve ever been.”

Today, she’s balancing work and school. She’s been at Jamba Juice for five years—“I enjoy it; I work with friends, and I’m good at it”—and recently returned to college to finish her degree.

The hardships she's faced changed her profoundly. “It taught me life is too short and not to take anything for granted,” she said. “It made me realize my strength, that time really does heal. During that time, I thought my life would always suck—but eventually, it got better. I have my family, my friends, a roof over my head. It taught me to be grateful always.”

Through it all, she’s learned to rely on the people around her. “I wouldn’t have been able to come out this strong without my family and friends. They’re the greatest support system,” she said.

Family Portrait: Hafifa with her parents and siblings, including Jannah and Azaan.

And if there’s one thing she wants others to know, it’s that hope is never out of reach. “Although it may suck right now and feel like the worst thing ever, eventually it gets better. It may not ever be the way it once was, but goodness comes out of every bad situation,” she said. “I lost my uncle and aunt, but I also gained two beautiful siblings who I would do anything for. So stay strong and hold on—because time heals.”